Effects of Self-Oriented and Other-Oriented Questions on Moral Reasoning.

Jordan, Valerie Barnes; Waite, Donna

The effects of self-oriented and other-oriented questions on moral reasoning scores for two moral dilemmas involving stealing and school cheating were investigated. The reasoning scores of elementary school-aged children increased on other-oriented questions by the fifth grade. Females' scores showed consistent reasoning on self-oriented and other-oriented questions, while males' scores were higher on other-oriented than on sefl-oriented questions. The findings indicate that males are more likely than females to espouse double standards of moral reasoning, with one standard applying to their own actions, and another applying to the actions of others. The results also highlight the importance of using situations and questions for moral dilemmas which correspond to realistic people and actual events that children are likely to experience, rather than hypothetical story characters and improbable situations. (Author)